Spiritual Binding

Beneath Her Gaze will you no longer have sight
Beneath Her Gaze will you no longer call to Home
Beneath Her Gaze will you no more tug at Ikh-Mir
Beneath Her Gaze will you no longer walk amongst us
Neben Ek Yiir, hi los gro hond nol Ikh-Mir

The Binding Prayer

History

Those destined for the Bound Towers undergo the process of Binding, removing their essence from and severing their ties to Ikh-Mir. Prisoners and all others who are afflicted by curses/possessions are brought to a tower located in small, lateral dimensions. The entrances to these demiplanes are hidden from the material plane of Haustusmora. One matriarch or patriarch Tower Keeper guards each dimensional tear region on the side of the material realm, revealing and opening the tear when presented with offerings and prisoners. The imposing figures known as the Tower Keepers are bipedal in posture and standing, wielding scythes made from the sheer stone cut from the howling winds in the deep gorges of the demiplane. The brood of the Elder Keeper (normally in the dozens or hundreds) fly incessantly, surrounding the towers as they are dragged through the air above dark reflections of our landscapes, pulled along by ancient beasts trapped within the realms.

Execution

Prisoners and sacrificial hosts are brought to one of the handful Burj Mulzama throughout Haustusmora for the ritualistic binding of their essences within their physical form on the material plane. The ritual robs the being of the use of its sight, voice, hands, and legs through intense application of the Binding Priest's spiritual element with each set of arms it possesses. The face is covered by a metal mask, the arms injured and pressed into the sides of the body like a straitjacket, the hands inserted into the wounds from the process into the sides, the legs tied and constrained close to the body to force a fetal position. The body is then suspended from the chains which connect each metal cover-piece, remaining aloft in the halls of the tower sentenced to eternal imprisonment, for the betterment of the world at large.

Components and tools

The ritual requires the full concentration of the Binding Priest and their elemental powers so as to overpower the spirit within the shell, but not kill the host outright. Beyond that, the ever-present chains hanging from the darkened roofs of the halls within the tower aid to seal the prisoner into themselves.

Participants

The binding Priest commits the act of sundering the Subjugated's spirit from Ikh-Mir. If the Subjugated is deemed extremely dangerous, the monstrosities known as the Raging Gales will enter the Bound Tower and stand vigil during the arduous ceremony. Those who escort the Subjugated towards the towers tend to not remain when these guardians come into the chambers of the priests.

Primary Related Location

Burj Mulzama